The invention relates to product identification and information display tags for merchandise suspended from horizontally extending elongate support hooks, generally formed of metal rods, which fit into an apertured board. More particularly, the invention relates to such tags which are easily attached to and removed from support hooks without being subject to inadvertent removal, and which display product information forwardly of the supported merchandise.
One of the Applicants has in recent years developed a range of product display tags of the above-type for use with different types of support hooks, the tags in general being formed from plastic sheet so as to provide a mounting portion which attaches to a support hook at the back or proximal end of the hook, and an elongate portion which extends forwardly over the support hook, and the product suspended therefrom, for presenting product information at the forward or distal end of the support hook. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,525,944, 4,703,570 and 4,715,135.
The product information may, for example, be provided on a label secured to a downwardly depending display portion of the tag located forwardly with respect to the distal end of the support hook so that the product information is conveniently displayed to a consumer or the like at a location forwardly of the merchandise. With the display tags of this nature, when a product is to removed from the support hook, the tag may be flexed upwardly and may fall back into position after the product has been released from the hook.
Apart from the above-mentioned identification tags, other tags have been developed, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 of the drawings accompanying this application, which are molded from a plastic material and which have bifurcated proximal end mounting portions connected to a longitudinal portion which extends above the support hook and terminating in an identification tag supporting member at the front of the hook. These devices have the disadvantage that a considerable amount of display space is lost due to the presence of the device and it is an object of the present invention, in one of its embodiments, to overcome this disadvantage. A further disadvantage of these devices is that they are not as easily flexed upwardly so that it is not as easy and convenient to place products on or remove products from the hook.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a practical and convenient identification tag for use with bi-directional wire racks, according to another embodiment of the invention.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a forwardly extending identification tag which is more stable in the longitudinal direction and resistent to side-ways movement relative to the support hook than the presently known identification tags and yet is easily flexed upwardly for easy placement and removal of products from the hook.